The Tap Exchange

Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

22250 Bulverde Rd, #106 (at Evans Rd.)
San Antonio, Texas, 78259
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.39
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
11
pDev:
34.81%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

2.96/5  rDev -12.7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3
Stopped by this joint on a recent trip to San Antonio because of the number of taps. I was kind of disappointed because most of the offerings were widely distributed, not regionally focused or of much quality. They get extra points for the sheer number.

When you walk in there is a bunch of tables to the right and a long bar in the back. Plenty of seating which was a plus but when I visited there were only a few people sitting. Everyone else was at the bar. Each beer had it's corresponding handle which was pretty cool.

The service was not very good. The bartender kept my glass filled but was completely miserable and didn't talk at all. The best part of this place were the three locals I met at the bar. They worked at a nearby hotel and we talked awhile about beer and the city. They recommended other places to visit and bought a few rounds.
Dec 17, 2010
Photo of CONOR8832
Reviewed by CONOR8832 from Texas

3.28/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 2
I went to the Tap Exchange with a co-worker to have a long firday afternoon lunch. Bartender was great, we were not sure what beer we wanted to drink so he (bartender) started giving us some samples of the type of beer that we liked.

Pretty good selection of beer, some good west coast IPA's, several beers from Stone on tap, a few from middle america (New Belgium, Avery,etc.) not much from the east coast (Some Dogfish brews would have been nice) I made some recomendations to the bartender about the beer selection and he said they change it up periodically.

The food is another story, it was average. I would not recomend going to this place just for the food. But if you want to go have a good beer and have a pretty good selection it is worth a try.
Aug 05, 2010
Photo of ljjehl
Reviewed by ljjehl from Texas

1.3/5  rDev -61.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1 | food: 3
I was ready to have a great time for lunch at TapExchange today, raved about it to my bro and family. (I went when they first opened and the waitress was awesome, knew her brew and also gave us a list to choose from) When we finally agreed to a time and date, we showed up today (05-24-10 @ 1pm) Once we arrived, we received a menu. Problem is, no beer menu in sight...(huh??) Isn't this a bar with 60 BEERS ON TAP? c'mon, you have to have a beer menu...it's posted on the site. Ok, no prob, I'll download it....what?? The place advertises Wifi, but they do not have wifi??

Well, as a beer connoisseur, I was not happy. I like to plan my beer trip, and no beer menu is like having no food menu. Don't get me wrong, the food is good and hot, but I expected a lot more from Tap Exchange than the food (remember, 60 BEERS....) Until they change their ways they cater to their beer patrons, I will search elsewhere for my favorite and unusual brews....

Leo
May 24, 2010
Photo of JackDenim
Reviewed by JackDenim from Texas

1.6/5  rDev -52.8%
vibe: 1 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 1 | food: 4
My brother had experienced this place in the past and had a decent enough experience to bring me and my parents to give it a try. Well, the waitress knew next to nothing about the beers available or details about the food menu. After becoming frustrated with her, we asked for management. He was too busy leading a meeting in the center of the restaurant and couldn't be bothered. It was bad enough that he was very vocal and ruined the ambiance for me and my family.

I shook it off and asked for the alcohol listing. They apparently do not offer a list of what they have to offer. They solely rely on the experience of the waitress/server to suggest something according to what you're in the mood for at the time. Needless to say, that's like going into a clothing store and asking for "something for the summertime". Feeble attempt at satisfaction in the least.

I played it safe and asked for an alternative to Guinness. The waitress suggested a brew I was not aware of and was somewhat excited to experience a new taste. Unfortunately, the waitress comes back, exclaims that they were out of the beer SHE suggested. She ultimately brought a Guinness without consulting me. I ended up with a beer in which I had already sampled thousands of times at other bars.

The lone bright spot of the afternoon was the Rivercity Cheese Steak. Not bad although the price was a bit high for the small sandwich they give you. All in all, it was tasty.

Suffice to say, I will never suggest this restaurant/bar to anyone I deem a friend or close acquaintance.
May 24, 2010
Photo of Radome
Reviewed by Radome from Florida

4.22/5  rDev +24.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Very impressive selection of beer, for this town. I tried it out while on a business trip and actually was impressed enough to go back a second time. Wait staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Taps were weighted toward Texas and regional breweries with lots of other microbrews and imports as well. A highlight was their selection of beer flights. These were flights of three beers chosen by the bartender in a given theme. For instance, Belgian, German, Strong Beers,etc. My friend tried his luck and got some world class results. Food was enjoyable and the prices were very reasonable. Cheers!
Jan 18, 2010
Photo of smgordo13
Reviewed by smgordo13 from Texas

4.22/5  rDev +24.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I loved this bar for a while. Recently though they have had a management change and they seem to be out of everything. The selection is generally pretty good though. I hope that the new manager is just trying to get things squared away but so far he is not doing too well.
The food is phenominal, the staff knows what they are talking about and can make great recomendations.
Crowd is a 30+ range and it normally is pretty quiet there.
If the new manager gets the beer menu restocked I may come in and update this.
Dec 30, 2009
Photo of wolffman17
Reviewed by wolffman17 from Texas

3.38/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
The Tap Exchange...one of few good beer bars in San Antonio. It's located in a new strip mall; new as in they seem to be the only tenant in the entire strip. Really quite a hike to get to, especially if you're in town visiting downtown, though it's not difficult to find.

For the vibe...meh. I've got to say I was a little underwhelmed. The layout is a big square with lots of tables, and a small, somewhat cramped, bar area. The walls have some nice brewery mirrors and artwork, but that does little to negate the "sterile" feel that comes with some of these strip mall locations. Large windows in the front, though nice for viewing out, really let in some harsh lighting as the sun goes down. This also results in the place really warming up. Another observation during my visit, I believe my wife (26) and I (29) were easily the youngest people there (Friday 7-9pm). That's not necessarily a bad thing...just an observation. Sorry guys, I guess the worn-in pub feel is more my thing.

Nice server with too much on his hands. The bartenders double up as servers which can slow things down.

On to the beer. No qualms with quality. Selection is very good for San Antonio. Notable drafts include Rogue XS IIPA, GF West Coast IPA, Deschutes Red Chair IPA, Maredsous 8 & 10, and Old Rasputin among many others. Where are the locals? Only counted two. Plenty of BMC to pay the bills.

Varied food menu. My sandwich was slightly dry, and the vinaigrette for my salad was all oil, no vinegar.

Save the lack(in my opinion) of atmosphere, not a bad place if you're in the area, especially for the beer selection.
Aug 03, 2009
Photo of goatgoat
Reviewed by goatgoat from Arizona

4.58/5  rDev +35.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Been to this place a couple of times now and always have a good experience whether is a pleasant dinner with my mother or a some-what rowdy session with a buddy. And there always seems to be another group, large or small, having a good time there.

The staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and conscientious. There's a nice and varied tap/bottle list but unless you're at the bar it's kind of hard to see new additions or other changes (seriously, how long was Wild Devil there before I saw it?). The layout itself is nice, with tall tables with stools, regular tables, and even a couch.

I always hit up the half sandwich, salad or soup combo. Tasty, plenty of options, and very reasonably priced. I tend to find my dish of choice and stick with it at all restaurants. They have good taps on special every day. As well as the typical beer-bar shenanigans... glass night, pub quiz, Texas beer night.

I'm moving out of the area soon and although I just recently found out about it the Tap Exchange will be the most sorely felt loss.
May 24, 2009
Photo of BeerZack
Reviewed by BeerZack from North Carolina

2.28/5  rDev -32.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 1
EDIT: OK, pretty much disregard everything I said below. For the last year or so this place has been under different management or maybe the same management is trying a new strategy. That strategy being to cater to the Blue Moon crowd. The selection is now way more lame, very fake craft oriented, same Ol San Antonio" sportsbar vibe now. The place was always a bit pricey, but now its just a ripoff. The "boneless wings" were worse than most fake pressed frozen chicken nuggets, may have been frozen nuggets actually... and they were ridiculously expensive! I'll leave the old review to remind me of the good times.

Located in suburban strip-mall hell, like everything else in SA. Kinda looks like it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's actually right in-between Freetail and BJ's. (...) i.e. a must stop on any SA beer-crawl. Relatively unadorned open seating area with tables, a few bar seats and outdoor patio seating also.

Quality is a big issue in bars with this many taps and this place is on top of it. Proof is in the Czechvar- I was delightfully surprised to see this offering and at the same time wary of ordering it. I have had fresh Pilsners on tap probably less often than I've had old and/or tainted ones, but the sublime experience of drinking a velvety smooth, yet crisp and fresh Pilsner on a hot day is supremely rewarding and worth the risk. I was not disappointed here. A+

Our bartender/server (Amber?) was very knowledgeable of the products and ready to offer suggestions.

Selection is great. Old Raspy, Maharaja, Old Foghorn, DFH 90, Stone IPA plus about 30 other nice selections, leaving only about 15 or so lame ones for the masses. A very nice ratio for any bar in Texas. Best in SA that I have seen.

Can't rate the food. We only tried the fried pickles, which were good- chips not spears.

Average price per pint seemed a little steep, although there was a $3 (I think) special on a few select taps, which I did not select. Price doesn't really matter here though. With its proximity to both BJ's and Free tail, what beer pilgrim can say no?
May 20, 2009
Photo of dwpiercetx
Reviewed by dwpiercetx from Texas

4.83/5  rDev +42.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I really enjoyed this place. It's non-smoking so I got to take my wife and kiddos there and feel comfortable. Big selection on tap and a bunch of bombers and others. Live music Saturdays. Bar trivia on Wednesdays. And Glass night on Tuesdays. I got a Chimay Tulip a couple weeks ago. They do lots of promotions and the food is pretty darn good. I'll definitely go back many times. Plus Jimmy, the owner is a cool dude. He wants to get to know everyone who enters his place. The coolest part is that he loves beer and talking about beer.
May 09, 2009
Photo of CoachG
Reviewed by CoachG from Texas

4.6/5  rDev +35.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
This is a great "cheers" bar. It has a great selection and good food. The staff has a good beer background and know beer.
This place had Green Flash IPA when there only 6 in the whole state! Hell, I tried to keep it a secret and drink my fill on that one. Hopheads, they have a good selection for you and alot of malty ones too. They also have a good selection of the gateway beers for the newbies. They have a good mix of local Texas taps and some great hard to find imports on tap. They also have 100 different bottles of wine for the vino lovers. Some of the "new favs - Bitch. Worth your time off 281 coming in from Austin. Just exit Evans and go East.
Coach G
Feb 14, 2009
The Tap Exchange in San Antonio, TX
Place rating: 3.39 out of 5 with 11 ratings